Practice Makes Perfect
by Col3725
Summary: What happens when Booth and Brennan agree to babysit six-week-old Michael Vincent? -Set after "The Change in the Game"-
1. Chapter 1

******_A/N: This will be a two-part story. Enjoy :)_**

* * *

Brennan's sitting at her desk in her office at the Jeffersonian, going through files from the latest case, when there's a knock on the door. She looks up and smiles. "Hey, Angela."

Angela strolls through the doorway and over to Brennan's desk. She sets a cup of tea down on a coaster and smiles back. "Hey, sweetie."

"Thanks." Brennan takes a sip of the tea and glances at her best friend over the rim of the mug. "How's Michael Vincent? I imagine it's difficult for you, as a new mother, to separate yourself from your son."

Angela nods. "I cried this morning when I dropped him off at the daycare center. I wouldn't let him go. I couldn't. The daycare director had to physically take him from me." She pauses. "I need to ask you for a favor."

"Okay, shoot. Not literally. It means—."

Angela nods. "I know what it means, Bren."

"Yes, of course."

"Do you have plans for Saturday night? If you do, if you and Booth are doing something, then just forget I asked."

"Booth hasn't said anything, and I was planning on spending Saturday night here, working on the case. Why do you ask?"

"It's been a while since Hodgins and I have been alone, and I know this is a lot to ask, but would you mind watching Michael for a few hours on Saturday night?"

Brennan blinks and swallows. "Me?"

"You're my best friend and I trust you."

Brennan smiles. "You do?"

"So will you do it?"

"It could be good practice."

Angela's eyes widen just a little and she shifts. "Practice for what?"

Brennan looks away, staying silent. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Honey."

Brennan lifts her head and looks at Angela. She's finding it hard to hide her grin at this point. "Ange, I'm, I'm pregnant."

"Oh my God. Wait, seriously? Oh my God. Booth's?"

Brennan giggles a little. "Yes."

"I don't know." Angela squeals louder than she intended and scurries over to her best friend, hugging her. She drops her arms and steps back. "Wait, really? You're pregnant with Booth's baby." It's almost too much for her to handle. She's still trying to process the news that Booth and Brennan slept together.

"That's what I just said."

"Oh my God."

"You said that already. Twice, actually."

"I'm just—oh my God."

Brennan smiles.

"Wow. Just wow." Angela pauses. "You did tell Booth, right?"

"He knows. He's thrilled. He talks to my stomach every night. I keep telling him that the fetus can't hear him or talk back, but he doesn't seem to care."

"Congratulations, sweetie. Wow." Angela pauses. "So will you babysit Michael Vincent?"

"I'll ask Booth to help. He knows more about child-rearing than I do."

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"I don't mind. Booth and I will watch Michael Vincent so you and Dr. Hodgins can have sex."

Angela coughs and laughs at the same time.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to work."

"That's going to be one beautiful baby," Angela mutters under her breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing, just thank you again. You're the best."

"I know."

Angela smiles and walks out of the Brennan's office.

* * *

_**Well, there's part one. Hope you liked it. **_


	2. Chapter 2

**I had planned on updating sooner, but here's part-two/the final chapter. It's kind of long. I got carried away. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Booth walks into his apartment and smiles when he rounds the corner and sees Brennan sitting on the couch, reading. "Hey."

Brennan looks up from the page and smiles back. "Hey." She closes the book and sets it down on the coffee table.

He sits down beside her, scooting impossibly close. His hand rests on her stomach as he leans in to give her a kiss on the lips. It's just what he needs after a long day at work. "So I was thinking we could go out to dinner or a movie on Saturday," he suggests after breaking the kiss.

She pulls back and nods. "Well, that does sound nice, but we already have plans."

"Oh? Are you and Angela doing something?"

"We. I said _we_ have plans, as in, you and I." She pauses. "Angela asked me if I'd babysit Michael Vincent, so she and Dr. Hodgins could have sex."

He blinks. "She didn't actually say that was the reason, did she?"

"No, but she said it's been awhile since her and Dr. Hodgins have been alone. The implication was quite clear." She pauses. "I said yes."

"How do I factor into all this?"

"You have a son. You know more about taking care of a child. It's one of the few things you are more adept at than me."

"I'm just going to skip right over that backhanded compliment, and say, I guess we have plans for Saturday night." He smiles.

She snuggles up to him, resting her head against his shoulder.

He drapes his arm around her back and smiles. "It'll be fun. Babies are fun."

* * *

On Saturday night, Brennan opens the door and smiles at her best friend. "You look beautiful, Angela."

Angela smiles. "Thanks, sweetie." She pauses. "I have to run because Hodgins is parked illegally and we're late for our dinner reservation, but here. This is everything you'll need—diapers, wipes, powder, Michael Vincent's favorite rattle, a change of clothes, and his travel crib. I just fed him before we left, so he shouldn't be hungry for another two to three hours. If there's anything you need or if there's a problem, you have our cell phone numbers and here's the restaurant's number just in case. Thanks again for doing this."

Brennan shakes her head, taking the infant carrier from Angela. "You're welcome."

Angela adjusts her son's little hat and smiles at him. "Bye, Michael Vincent. Be good for Auntie Temperance. Daddy and I will be back later." She gives him a kiss and sighs. "I love you." She stares at her son for a few seconds and then disappears down the hallway.

* * *

Brennan shuts the door and locks it. She sets the carrier on the coffee table and turns her head when she hears footsteps. "Michael Vincent's here."

"I can see that." Booth runs his fingers through his damp hair and pads over to the couch.

Brennan swallows and stares at the newborn.

"Bones, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"It's alright to be nervous."

She fixes Michael Vincent's hat again and as she lowers her hand, the newborn hooks his hand around her finger, his blue eyes trying to focus on something. She smiles. "Hi, Michael," she coos.

Booth stands back, watching her. He can't wait to see her with their son…or daughter.

She scoops him up out of the carrier and sits down on the couch, cradling him and rocking him when he starts to cry. She looks up at Booth and he just smiles at her.

"Trust your instincts, Bones." He takes the rattle from the diaper bag and gives it a little shake. He hands it to the baby when he reaches for it. "There you go, buddy."

Michael Vincent grips the caterpillar and sucks on the rubber ring, squirming a little in Brennan's arms.

"He's cute."

Booth nods. "Our son will be cuter."

"Or daughter."

"Or daughter." He sits on the couch beside her. "Make sure you support his head."

"I am supporting his head, Booth." She adjusts her hands anyway and watches Michael Vincent slobber all over the rubber part of the plush caterpillar rattle.

Booth drapes his arm around her and peers at the newborn over her shoulder.

Michael Vincent stops sucking and scrunches his nose and mouth up, making a gurgling sound.

"Why's he making that face?"

"I can guess." Booth stands up and grabs the diaper bag.

"Oh, of course."

"Here you go, momma."

"Me? Why me?"

"I don't need the practice. You do. If you think I'm going to be the only one changing our baby's diaper, you're not as smart as you think you are."

"I'm very smart."

"I'll walk you through it."

She stands up and sets a blanket down on the coffee table. She rests Michael Vincent down gently and undoes the snaps on his onesie and the tabs on his diaper. She pulls the diaper and is immediately met with a stream of urine to the face. She quickly puts the diaper back into place and glares at Booth, who's now snickering.

"He's got good aim." He pauses and hands her a towel.

"Thanks," she grumbles, wiping off her face. She composes herself and looks at fussy newborn. "You knew he was going to do that, didn't you?"

Booth picks up the rattle and shakes it, making it a point not to answer her.

Michael Vincent turns his head at the sound of beads hitting plastic and smiles.

Booth continues to shake the rattle and sticks out his tongue.

With the newborn now entertained, Brennan focuses on her task. She cleans him off, applies the powder, and smoothes down the tabs of the fresh diaper. She tickles the baby's stomach and then snaps his onesie closed. "I have to change my shirt."

"I can watch him," Booth offers, not taking his eyes off of the newborn and still shaking the rattle.

Brennan smiles and then disappears into the bedroom. When she comes back, Booth is laying on the couch with the newborn on his chest. She walks over to him and proceeds to clean up the mess on the coffee table.

Booth tilts his head and smirks. "You look good in my shirt."

"I didn't see any logical reason for putting on a new blouse and since we're not going anywhere tonight, I figured it'd make sense to change into pajamas. I don't have any clean pajamas here, so the only other option was to borrow a T-shirt and shorts from you. Do you mind?"

Booth shakes his head. "No. You look hot in that." He tugs on the navy blue FBI shirt, causing her to take a step towards the couch.

She stumbles forward, but resists. "Later." She sits at the foot of the couch and picks up her book again. "How's Michael Vincent?"

"Shhh. He's asleep."

"Are you going to put him down in the crib? I read that it's better for babies to sleep on their backs. It's safer, apparently. That's what all the books say."

"You read? All the books?"

"I've been reading some child-rearing books. They're quite informative."

"Those books are just guidelines. The best way to learn is by taking care of your own child. It's okay to make mistakes. You won't know what works until the baby's born."

"I just want to be the best mother I can be, Booth."

"And you will be. A book won't teach you how to be a mother, Bones. Trust your instincts." He carefully gets up off the couch, rocking a cranky newborn in his arms. "Shhh, buddy. It's okay." He sets him in the travel crib, watching as he stretches and then drifts back to sleep.

Brennan stands up and walks into the kitchen. "I'll heat up the leftover pasta. Do you want garlic bread?"

"Yeah, thanks."

She fiddles around in the refrigerator, looking for the pasta container.

"Oh, wait, I had the rest of the pasta for lunch."

"Then what do you want for dinner?"

"How about we order in?"

"Thai Food?" They say almost in unison.

"I'll call in." Booth grabs the phone and dials the phone. He covers the receiver and looks at Brennan. "The usual?"

She nods. "Yes." She sits on the couch and reaches for her book. She curls her legs under her, picks up where she left off, and listens to Booth just to make sure he doesn't get the order wrong.

He hangs up and sets the phone back in the dock. "Thirty minutes." He lowers her book and leans in, pressing his lips against hers. When he goes to deepen the kiss, Michael Vincent starts to cry. He sighs and pulls back.

"He's fed and changed. I don't understand."

"He misses Angela." He pauses. "Are you gonna get him?"

"Me?"

"Angela asked you to babysit. I'm just here to help when needed."

"Angela did ask me to babysit and you're here to help, yes, but we're a team, we're partners, and we're having a baby together. I assumed that meant that we're babysitting him together, regardless of who Angela initially asked. It's like an experiment."

"I thought I was just here to lend a hand when you needed help."

"One of us assumed wrong. I'm rarely ever wrong, so I guess that means we're babysitting him together, as a team." She pauses. "Nonetheless, I'll get him. It's fine." Brennan stands up and walks over to the travel crib. She bends down and hoists the newborn up and into her arms. She puts him in the infant carrier and begins to rock him. "I'm not ready for this," she confesses after a few minutes.

He pushes at her chin with his thumb, turning her face towards him. "There's a reason pregnancy is nine months long, Bones. You have plenty of time to get ready for this baby, but you don't have to worry." Booth places his hand on her barely-there baby bump and looks into her eyes. "You're gonna be a great mom."

She smiles, still rocking the carrier. "You think?"

"I know."

"You can't know for sure."

"My gut tells me you're gonna be a great mom, and my gut is always right." Booth laughs, nudging her. "You want a drink?"

"Water's fine, thanks."

Booth gets up and disappears into the kitchen.

She focuses on Michael again and sighs. "Please, be quiet, Michael." She keeps rocking him, but it doesn't seem to be helping. She looks around and then smiles at the baby, wiggling her fingers. "Phalanges. Phalanges, phalanges, phalanges. Dancing phalanges."

Michael Vincent's eyes get a little bigger and he reaches for her fingers, cooing. A small smile forms on his face and he squirms.

Booth comes back and sets a glass of water on the coffee table. "Hey, would you look at that? He's smiling and he stopped crying."

Brennan drops her hands and rocks the carrier.

Booth sits on the couch and takes a sip of his beer. "Bones, doesn't this remind you of when we took care of Andy?"

"Michael's a baby and we're taking care of him together. There certainly are parallels, so of course this reminds me of that." She picks up her glass of water and takes a sip. Soon, the apartment falls quiet again, the baby asleep in his carrier. "I'm going to move the crib into Parker's room. It's a more sufficient environment for sleeping."

"Okay."

She grabs the infant carrier and drags the playpen into the bedroom. She takes Michael Vincent out and cradles him. She presses a kiss to his cheek and fixes his hat. "Your momma will be here to pick you up soon," she whispers, setting him down. She sings a few verses of the only lullaby she knows and stands there, just watching him for a few minutes before heading back into the living room.

Booth turns his head. "Is he asleep?"

She nods. "Yes." She sits on the couch, leaning back against the armrest, her legs stretched out on the cushion.

He twists his body and lifts her right foot, kneading his knuckles into the sole.

She lets out a breath. "Ah. Oh." She closes her eyes and fights back a yawn. She shifts, getting more comfortable, and swallows. "Hmm."

He looks at her as his thumbs press into the ball of her foot.

* * *

Brennan is half asleep by the time the food arrives. She's exhausted, but starving.

Booth comes back from answering the door and sets the box on the coffee table.

She makes her way back from the bathroom and sits down on the couch again, rolling out her neck and stretching. She reaches for a carton and a pair of chopsticks, and digs in. She's a little nauseous, so she knows Thai food isn't the brightest idea she's ever had, but she's craving it and she hasn't eaten since lunch. She finally takes a breath and looks up, immediately catching Booth staring at her. "What?"

He shakes his head. "Uh, I just think you should slow down, there, Bones."

She just gives him a little pout and a grunt, and goes back to eating her dinner.

As he's about to take his first bite, he hears a crackle on the baby monitor, followed by a string of cries. He sighs, setting his food down.

She looks at him again, a mouth full of food, her eyes motioning to the bedroom.

"He might go back to sleep on his own. Let's wait." He reaches for a pair of chopsticks and pulls them apart. He stabs a piece of chicken, which causes Brennan to scoff.

"How many times have we gotten Thai or Chinese takeout, Booth?"

"I know how to use chopsticks the right way. You taught me. I just find this method much easier."

"Then use a fork or do you just like the idea of using chopsticks?"

"The second one." He smiles and looks at her as he pulls the piece of chicken off the wood with his teeth.

She laughs and focuses on the food again.

As the minutes pass and the cartons empty, the crying gets louder.

She sets her chopsticks in one of the containers and stands up. "I'll get him. I don't know what he could possibly need, but obviously something is upsetting him." She walks around the couch and heads into Parker's bedroom. She comes back with Michael Vincent in her arms. She begins to oscillate, looking down at the newborn.

Booth turns away from his dinner and glances up at her. He can't help but smile. He stands up and steps closer to her. He surprises her with a kiss and takes the baby. "I've got him. Sit down and finish eating. You're eating for two."

"That's inaccurate. I'm merely just using up more energy than usual; therefore I need to eat a small number of extra calories to make up for the energy lost and give the fetus ample nutrients." She pauses. "It would be more accurate to say I'm eating for one and a quarter persons, if that, though it's best not to use that phrase at all."

"I'll remember that." He rocks Michael Vincent, making funny faces at him.

"You look ridiculous."

"Babies love funny faces."

"You're scaring him," she reasons.

"I'm a dad. I think I know a little more about babies than you do. Just trust me on this, Bones. Look, he's smiling. He thinks I'm funny."

She looks away, her movements slowing a little.

"Bones, I didn't mean—."

She shakes her head. "You're right. You know more than me. That's why I asked for your help in the first place, Booth. I'm a grown adult. I can take it. I already admitted that you have more knowledge and experience with child-rearing. I can't dispute that. It's truth."

"I shouldn't have said it like that." He sighs and continues to rock Michael. "You just miss your mom, right, buddy? Yeah, I know you do," he coos.

She tilts her head and watches him. She's suddenly feeling extremely grateful that he's going to be here to help her raise their child. She's good with the academic stuff, but he's good with personal relations and human emotions, stuff she's still working on grasping. Plus, he knows what he's doing. He knows more than she does. He has more experience. She smiles and starts to devour the rice.

Michael Vincent holds onto Booth's finger and looks around the room, as if he's trying to explore every inch of his unfamiliar surroundings. He coos right back and blinks slowly.

Booth gives him a kiss, and his small grin turns into a full out toothy smile. He can't help but think about their unborn baby, and then he begins to imagine holding him…or her, feeding and changing the baby, bonding with the baby, being a family—him, the baby, and Brennan. His eyes begin to water a little, but he quickly blinks away the tears and sniffles.

"Are you crying?"

"No." He clears his throat and touches Michael Vincent on the tip of his nose, causing the newborn to smile. He sits down eventually and cradles him, just staring down at him.

"Do you think I should call Angela and tell her that everything's going alright?"

He shakes his head. "Bones, she's on a date with her husband."

"So? This is her child. I'm sure she wants to know how he's doing."

"If she wants to know how Michael's doing, _she'll_ call _you._"

"Are you sure?"

"If you and I were on a date, after not spending any time alone together for months, would you want someone interrupting us to tell us that everything's going fine with our baby?"

"Of course I would. It would make me feel better, I suppose, knowing that our child is safe."

"Fine, but we're not calling Angela and Hodgins."

"If you say so."

"I am saying so." He lifts Michal Vincent's arm, his hand still wrapped around Booth's finger.

As if on cue, the phone rings. Brennan grabs it and checks the caller ID. "It's Angela."

He gives her a sideways glance, one half of his mouth curving upwards into a smirk. "I told you."

She answers it. "Michael Vincent's fine, Ange, though he doesn't seem to want to take a nap. Booth's got him right now. He's quiet." She nods. "Yes, okay, see you then. Bye." She hangs up and finds herself playing with the baby's foot, subconsciously. "They're having a nice time."

"That's good."

"It certainly is." She leans back on the couch and rests her hand on her stomach, swallowing and blowing out air through her nose. Her nausea has gotten a bit stronger as her body begins to digest the takeout.

"You okay, Bones?"

She nods. "I'm content." She closes her eyes and fights back a yawn. "I'm ready for bed, however." She pauses. "Here, give me the baby. You haven't finished your dinner."

He hands her Michael Vincent and hunches over the table, picking at the leftovers. He laughs to himself when he catches her making funny faces at the baby, but turns back to the food when she looks up suddenly. Thankfully, his spying goes undetected. He scoots closer to her after he's finished eating and peers over her shoulder, looking down at the baby. "Just think. Pretty soon this will be our baby you're holding."

She nods. "Practice makes perfect, right?" She pauses and adds, "Even though there is no such thing as perfection."

"Yeah. We'll just have to babysit Michael Vincent more often." He pauses. "And since we did Angela and Hodgins a favor, they'll have to do us one too." He turns her head and closes the gap between them, smirking against her lips. He pulls back and adds, "You'll be ready for the bay. I promise. I guarantee it."

Instead of pointing out that there aren't any guarantees in life, she just nods, trusting his gut.

* * *

_**The End.** _


End file.
